Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Sam Acho (analyst), and Taylor Davis (sideline) (ESPN) Sean Kelley (play-by-play), Rene Ingoglia (analyst), and Mike Peasley (sideline) (ESPN Radio)
The game featured the Iowa Hawkeyes from the Big Ten Conference and the Vanderbilt Commodores from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The two football programs had never played each other.[4] Iowa had a 3–3 record in six prior appearances in the ReliaQuest Bowl (previously played as the Outback Bowl and Hall of Fame Bowl), while Vanderbilt played in this bowl for the first time.
Iowa compiled an overall 8–4 record (6–3 in Big Ten play) and was ranked in four of six CFP polls released. All their losses were to ranked opponents – at Iowa State, Indiana, Oregon, and at USC– by a combined 15 points. The Hawkeyes did not defeat any ranked teams, though they maintained possession of three rivalry trophies by defeating Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska by a combined score of 118–19.[5]
Vanderbilt posted an overall 10–2 record (6–2 in SEC play), establishing a school-record for wins, and was ranked from mid-September onward. Both of their losses were to ranked opponents on the road: Alabama and Texas. The Commodores defeated four ranked teams: South Carolina, LSU, Missouri, and Tennessee.[6]